Sunderland's pre-season schedule kicked off with trips to South Shields and Gateshead at the weekend with Régis Le Bris' squad now in Spain to step up their preparations for the new 2024-25 Championship campaign.
Le Bris utilised the majority of his squad across the two friendlies which resulted in a 5-0 win over National League North side South Shields before a 2-1 defeat to Gateshead at the International Stadium.
Jack Clarke, Patrick Roberts, Chris Rigg, Trai Hume, Adil Aouchiche and Eliezer Mayenda were among the goals scored for Sunderland throughout the day as supporters got to see Le Bris' team in action for the first time since the Frenchman was appointed new head coach.
Sunderland travelled to Spain following Saturday's friendlies where they will undergo a week of intense training ahead of fixtures with Nottingham Forest and CD Eldense this weekend before returning home for three more pre-season fixtures with Bradford City, Blackpool and Marseille.
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Away from pre-season fixtures, the summer transfer window is beginning to ramp up with news of Udinese's interest in Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah, while there have also been suggestions linking full-back Trai Hume with a move away. The Serie A side have reportedly made Ekwah one of their top transfer targets this summer while Hume has also been linked with a move across Europe - although We Are Sunderland understands no offer has been made for the Northern Ireland defender.
In the latest We Are Sunderland briefing, Matty Hewitt and Joe Ramage review Sunderland's start to pre-season and look ahead to the friendlies in Spain while reflecting on the latest transfer speculation and Dan Ballard's injury.
You can view the latest We Are Sunderland briefing below or via our YouTube channel.
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